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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Securities Regulation Unregistered Securities

Fenwick & West LLP

SEC v. Ripple Decision Makes Waves in Digital Assets Enforcement

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On August 7, 2024, nearly four years after the SEC filed its complaint alleging Ripple sold XRP in unregistered securities transactions in violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act, the district court issued its final...more

Dechert LLP

SEC Charges Ethereum Developer Over Liquid Staking and Swap Programs

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The SEC has charged a leading developer on the Ethereum blockchain with engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of certain securities through a “liquid staking” program and with failing to register as a broker in...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Another Notch in the SEC’s Belt: SEC v. Coinbase, Inc.

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Another Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) court has sided with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in its enforcement campaign against the unregistered sale of cryptocurrency assets. On March 27, 2024, in SEC...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Top 5 SEC Enforcement Developments for December 2023

To provide an overview for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, we summarize below some of the most important and interesting SEC enforcement developments from the past month, with links to primary resources....more

The Volkov Law Group

SEC and DOJ Charge SafeMoon Cryptocurrency and its Executives For Multi-Million Dollar Fraud

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On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) brought charges against cryptocurrency project SafeMoon LLC and its U.S. subsidiary SafeMoon US LLC, along with...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

SEC’s First Two NFT Enforcement Actions Cast Shadow of Ambiguity

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The Securities and Exchange Commission recently brought its first two enforcement actions against issuers of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), resulting in cease-and-desist orders, penalties and other remedies, finding that the...more

Polsinelli

Blockchain+ Bi-Weekly - September 2023

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The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more

Jones Day

SEC Brings Its First Enforcement Action Against Non-Fungible Token Sellers

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Two SEC commissioners dissented and urged the Commission to provide further guidance on non-fungible tokens ("NFTs")....more

Mayer Brown Free Writings + Perspectives

For the First Time, the US SEC Sanctions an NFT Issuer for Selling Unregistered Securities in SEC v. Impact Theory

In a published settlement of the charges on August 28, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) stated that non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) issued by Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact”) were “securities” under US...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

SEC Finds NFT to Be a Security in Landmark Action

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Summary - The SEC’s focus on the crypto industry expanded this week to include non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In its first NFT-enforcement action, the SEC settled with Impact Theory, a media and entertainment company, over...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

‘Forming’ a Rift: District Judge Rejects Decision in Ripple Labs, Inc.

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On July 31, 2023, Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) sided with the Securities Exchange Commission in SEC v. Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. by holding that sales of crypto assets to retail investors on...more

Winstead PC

Federal Court in Terraform Labs Rejects Ripple Decision

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The issue of whether the sales of digital assets constitute investment contracts (and therefore securities) remains at the forefront of SEC regulatory issues. Yesterday, in SEC v. Terraform Labs, a federal judge in New York...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

SEC v. Ripple: A Tale of Two Token Transaction Types

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A bifurcated decision in a highly anticipated digital assets enforcement action may not provide the clarity that market participants want or need. On July 13, 2023, Judge Analisa Torres of the US District Court for the...more

Seward & Kissel LLP

Christmas in July—Court in Ripple Case Delivers Split Verdict Hailed as Victory by Ripple

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Three days before Christmas 2020, the SEC served Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its executives with a lawsuit. How is that for a present under the tree? As the SKrypto Blog reported at the time, the main issue was whether XRP, a...more

DarrowEverett LLP

The Ripple Effect: SEC’s Battle Vs. Crypto Gains Some Clarity

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is paying considerable attention to the world of cryptocurrency (“crypto”). According to the SEC website, the SEC has brought more than 50 enforcement actions against crypto...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Parting the Crypto Sea: Ripple’s XRP Ruled to be a Security When Sold to Private Investors, But Not When Sold on an Exchange

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Judge Analisa Torres’ greatly anticipated Order in the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple is a split decision.  The Order basically finds that Ripple’s digital token XRP is a security when sold privately to individuals and...more

Troutman Pepper

Ten State AGs Sue Coinbase, Alleging Securities Law Violations

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On June 6, Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin each filed enforcement actions against leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and its parent,...more

A&O Shearman

United States Supreme Court Confirms That Section 11 Of The Securities Act Requires A Plaintiff To Plead And Prove Purchase Of...

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On June 1, 2023, the United States Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision that, under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), plaintiffs must plead and prove that they purchased securities that...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Ninth Circuit Expansion of Section 11 Standing

On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Slack Technologies, LLC v. Pirani vacating a Ninth Circuit decision2 that had extended the scope of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933, which provides a...more

Proskauer - Corporate Defense and Disputes

Supreme Court Requires Traceability for Securities Act Claims Arising from Direct Listings

The U.S. Supreme Court held that purchasers of shares sold to the public through a direct listing cannot sue under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 unless they can trace their shares to an allegedly defective...more

Bilzin Sumberg

SEC’s Regulatory Authority over Crypto Assets Questioned

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The regulatory authority of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) over the cryptocurrency industry has recently been challenged on a couple of fronts. One involves a lawsuit filed by the SEC against a Utah-based...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

When James Met Gary, Howey, and Hinman: New York AG Takes Aim at KuCoin (but hits Ethereum) in Latest Crypto Crackdown

In his famous 2018 speech, William Hinman, Digital Asset Transactions: When Howey Met Gary (Plastic), the Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), asked...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

March Madness: “The Truth” Fined by the SEC for Not Shooting Straight in Crypto Promotion

NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, known by basketball fans as “The Truth,” has run afoul of the SEC. No, not that SEC—Pierce played college basketball at Kansas in the Big 12. No, this would be the U.S. Securities and Exchange...more

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

Nutter Securities Enforcement Update: December 1, 2022

The Nutter Securities Enforcement Update is a periodic summary of noteworthy recent securities enforcement activity, settlements, decisions, and charges....more

Latham & Watkins LLP

The Latham FPI Guide: Accessing the US Capital Markets From Outside the United States - 2022 Edition

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Fabry-Pérot Interferometer, SA is a highly successful non-US company known to the world as FPI. FPI is considering doing a debt or equity offering in the United States. What are the key legal issues it, and its underwriters...more

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